Coming Soon...

This week I will be 37 weeks. It is almost hard to believe. Not that this pregnancy has gone incredibly fast or anything, it is just that I feel so blessed. With losing two babies we might actually get to meet this one and I am so very close! This pregnancy has been more difficult than Dominic's just from being bigger and overweight from the miscarriage when I got pregnant. Also the progesterone shots, ugh, which I am so very grateful for. Overall though, it has been another easy and wonderful pregnancy. 

At 37 weeks, I am feeling almost ready. We are having a home birth, for which I am so very excited! Thanks to the help of my mom and wonderful husband, my house is mostly clean and ready though there are a few projects to do and the clean state to maintain. With the exception of just a few items, our birth kit is almost ready too. I still have no idea what we are doing with Dominic, at this point I am playing it by ear. If go into labor during the day, he will go to my in-laws down the street, but if it is at night I just don't know. He has never been away from us at night, nor should he be at his young age, and I worry he will just be crying and wondering where we are. At the same time, if he is here and wakes up I don't want Geoff to have to deal with him for a long period of time while I am in labor. My mom will (hopefully!) be here too so I think that will be a help. The dream would be he goes to sleep, labor starts, he stays asleep, wakes up and bam! Baby! So I am sure that will happen. 

The biggest joy has been watching Dominic embrace this baby. He is so very excited! He prays for and talks to our sweet baby every day. We also ask him "do you think this baby is a boy or a girl?" The answer use to switch every day and the names use to be very creative from "Baby America" to "Brotius" to his most common name "Baby Blue". Over the past month however, he always says it is a girl, he is convinced (I have no clue) and even refers to "her" with the name we have chosen for a girl. Well except for yesterday when he was trying to convince me that we were in fact having two babies a boy and a girl and he had names for both. Boy would that be a surprise! On a daily basis he talks about the baby and all the cute thing she will do. Today he was talking about how the baby will have a car seat and sit in the back seat with him and how awesome that will be. It melts my heart so much. I can't wait for him to meet this baby for the first time! He is going to be an amazing big brother.

So soon I will get to see what this baby looks like. Will he or she look just like my husband, like Dominic does? How will he/she differ from Dominic as a baby, and in personality? Most of all, I can't wait to see my husband as a father again. He is so gentle, kind, loving, and a true man of God. I could not ask for a bigger gift than to share our lives in the eyes of another child.

7 Quick Takes Friday: Vacation Edition

**1**
Sorry for the absence lately. Last week was crazy busy due to me preparing for two trips. One I was going on and one I wasn't. 10 pilgrims (8 youth, Fr. L. and 1 adult) left on Tuesday to a wonderful pilgrimage which consists of Fatima, Lourdes, and WYD in Madrid. Yes, I am trying hard not to be jealous. We have been preparing spiritually and doing fundraising for over a year and finally the time has come! I made this blog for them if you are interested in following and sharing in their pilgrimage over the next two weeks.

**2**
I am however as we speak on my own much needed Vacation on Table Rock Lake in Missouri. It has been awesome! I came here with my family when I was 5 and finally my family decided to come back. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the birthday present!! The week has been full of firsts for Dominic and lots of swimming, tubing, boats, fishing, laughing, grilling, and sleeping in for all of us.

**3**
Despite the fun time I am having, I am a bit devastated. You see for my last birthday my sweet loving husband got me a smart phone. I love the thing. I use it way too much and for every little thing. Other than my phone it is my camera, clock, voice recorder, gaming device, blog tool, interwebs, news agency, alarm, stopwatch, MP3 player, radio, piano, weather man, yada yada, I could go on and on. Well yesterday Doc and I were enjoying some time on the dock with some wonderful cousins and, well I guess you know where this is going...it started to pour cats and dogs so I took the phone out of my backpack to check the radar. It confirmed for me that yep, it was raining, boy I'm sure glad I figured that out. Anyway I knocked my phone through the dock and into the water. Under the dock it went sinking into it's new 35 ft deep watery tomb. No hope of retrieval. Gone. Sigh. Boy do I feel dumb. What an expensive mishap.

**4**
The worst part is now I'm going to have to beat Plants vs Zombies all over again!!!

**5**
This morning when I woke up, I didn't know what to do. I had no idea what time it was. I tried to gently look at my still sleeping husband's watch, which he was wearing to get an idea. And then I needed to get kid and I dressed, but I didn't know what was the temperature like outside!!? But then I remembered in the olden days, like 5 months ago pre-smart phone, when I used to open the door and go outside to see what it was like and sure enough that still worked.

**6**
Listen to your guardian angel people! Mine totally rocks. She (Gertrude) is always such a big help and I try to constantly ask for it. I kid you not RIGHT BEFORE I dropped my phone I heard "you are going to drop your phone in the lake". I said to myself, well I'm just gonna do this one thing and I'll be really careful. *CLUNK* *SPLASH* *Sigh* Well hopefuly I learned my lesson. Gertrude, you always protect me and guide me, I will try and listen to you better!

**7**
Yes I realize it was just a material good. Even though I am upset about it, and will probably be even more upset when I find out how much I need to pay to get a new one, it was just a phone. It is replaciable and many things in life aren't. Like my wonderful husband and my dear sweet little Dominic who are both safe, healthy, and happy. It hasn't spoiled a wonderful vacation and I'm not ready to leave in two days. Will share pictures, from our actual camera which has not yet been thrown in the lake, when I get home.

Thanks Jen for hosting. Have a great weekend everyone!



7 Quick Takes Friday: Revival

**1**
I am laying in bed next to my little guy who is having a restless night. The few times I've tried to get up to go shoot some zombies with my husband (don't worry, there isn't an outbreak just playing some left4dead2), Dominic senses that I am thinking about getting up and lays on my head, wraps his leg around my torso, and puts his hand on my mouth. Thus I am still laying here.

**2**
So I thought to myself, why not quick take? It only been a bajillion months since I have and I love Jen's, and everyone else's. So here it is, the I can't get out of bed with a kid wrapped around me revival edition.

**3**
Today was good day. Doc and I spent the morning and early afternoon at work. He loves nothing more than to bug my co-workers and try to ninja their cell phones when they aren't looking (sorry Irene). But I was able to get everything done I needed to so I declare win! My co-workers, well I hope they can say the same.

**4**
It was beautiful and sunny today. I was down at our garden (which is at my in-laws a few blocks away) when the tornado sirens started going off. I repeat, it was beautiful and sunny so I wasn't too worried. I quickly grabbed some stuff I needed for dinner from the garden and was on my way home in the car. My husband then called and said to quick look outside and see funnel. Wah!?! I look west down a side street as I was driving a sure enough, there it was. All the neighbors were standing outside taking pics so I went up to a neighbor with Doc in my arms and said, is it touching down? It wasn't , but then I thought I saw it start to really rotate and I said to myself that I wasn't going to be one of those ppl who doesn't take it seriously so we went into the basement. A few mins later my husband called again and said it was gone. Fffew. It was so weird because the radar was clear. Ah well, I again declare win because I got to see a funnel without any harm coming to anyone. The high schooler in me that wanted to be a storm chaser was jumping for joy.

**5**
Today was also my dear MILs birthday. I invited my husbands fam over for dinner and being that it is also the very important holiday of National Lasagna Day, I made lasagna. One with Italian sausage and the other meat-free with spinach (since I abstain from eat meat on Fridays). Both were loaded with tons of fresh parsley and basil from our garden. YUM! My MIL said it was better than the lasagna she got at some fancy restaurant so I'm sorry but I think I need to declare WIN again.

**6**
Just because I WIN doesn't mean you lose.

**7**
I think I might try and sneak out of bed to kill some zombies now. Have a great weekend! Made it just in time to still be Friday!

An Act of Will

At Fatima, our Blessed Mother asked that we make reparations for sinners,
for our own sins,
and for those who do not believe, hope, adore, and love God-
especially in the most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
She taught the children saying,
 "When you make some sacrifice, say 'O Jesus, it is for your love, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.'"

Fr. L. was recently speaking with our Jr. High kids and sighted this prayer.
He said that when you have to do a chore,
act of humility,
or just something your really do not want to do,
say this prayer.
"O Jesus it is for love of You and salvation of souls that I do this."
He said that just this simple little prayer
can be the grace a soul needs to get to Heaven.
It really struck me.
A soul might make it to Heaven because I did the dishes when I didn't want to.
Because I was awake with my son for the fourth time that night.
Because I cleaned my house today.
If I just offer up these everyday occurences to Heaven-
Oh what God can do with those offerings.

And a happy side effect, is it makes these chores not so bad.

So today, tomorrow, and the day after...
my dear Guardian Angel help me remember to pray
"O Jesus, it is for love of You, and salvation of souls that I do this."

Good Food, Good Company, Good...

The 4th of July is one of my favorite secular holidays.

Obviously for reasons of our Independence as a Nation,

but also for the gathering of family and friends.

We have been sick lately so I wasn't sure it was going to happen.

I mean, our celebration of it not the holiday itself.

On the mend now, I am sure glad we were able to have people over

to grill,

Kinect,

play bags,

and just enjoy company.

Introducing the world's greatest Bags player:

 

And of course, we went to our town's fireworks which despite not having any cool shaped fireworks like say, Abraham Lincoln's head (I swear it happened once...),

were pretty darn amesome!

We weren't sure how Dominic was going to handle them

but he loved it!

He was clapping, and oooing which was so fun.

I think I watched his reaction to the fireworks more than I actually watched the fireworks.

 

 

Praise God for a beautiful day!

 

Moments to Cherish

Often in a week Dominic does many things that just melt my heart.

I say to myself that I want to remember these moments forever.

At the very least I should stock pile the memories to pull out when a certain someone starts screaming their head off.

So I thought I would share my favorites from these past couple days.

1. For the past couple months I've been trying to teach Dominic a very valuable life skill, and finally he's got it! I was such a proud mama!



In case you don't know what I am talking about, it is the "Ahhh" after he takes a drink.

2. The other evening I stayed up a little late but Dominic and Geoff were already asleep. After I exhausted every website I could ever want to look at, I decided I should probably get to sleep as well. Upon crawling into bed I saw my husband and son cuddled up all close to one another. I wish I had a picture! It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

3. Geoff taught Dominic to say "sit" and give a treat to our dog Payton. It is so cute and is actually more like "shii" but I love it! So yesterday I was telling my mom about it and said "Dominic say sit for grandma...sit". And Doc immediately dropped down and laid flat on his belly, imitating Payton who often just lays down when we tell him to sit. I laughed so hard and couldn't resist showing Geoff today. Sure enough, Dominic did it again.

4. Tonight we were saying prayers before Dominic went to sleep. Geoff and I were kneeling at the foot of our bed and Dominic was on the bed watching us. During the "Hail Mary" he went to his daddy and gave him a big wet kiss, and then came over to me and did the same. We haven't gotten too many kisses from him before, so it was a very special moment.

Being a parent is such an incredible blessing.

I want to make sure that at the end of the day,

 I look not at the work or trials that came with my vocation of motherhood,

 but rather the joys.

Tonight I go to bed very happy.

Attack of the T-Rex From the Future

Last night my wonderful husband had an unfortunate accident with a knife.

While trying to cut a GIANT Reeses Egg that was in the freezer,

the knife went into his hand. Ouch! 

A night in the emergency room (only two hours) and four stitches later,

he is in one piece again.

But I just have to say, even though it was a silly mistake,

it is something I would have totally done myself.

However I would not have handled it with the grace he did.

The whole time he was joking, smiling, and asking my how I was doing.

That is my husband.

My rock.

My joy.

Even when he is the one that is bleeding.

But please, don't tell him you know how he really hurt himself.

The official story is he was attacked by a T-Rex, from the future.

It is true, I saw it when it decloaked.

I'll just say that we had T-Rex for dinner and it was tasty!

Not Bad for a Monday

I love days like today.

I am going to bed feeling...accomplished.
Dominic was very cooperative with entertaining himself for a few hours
while I got done some much needed stuff for work.
He watched the train go by a few times,

and I did some cleaning and laundry.

We went for a nice walk on this beautiful day.

I planted some flowers,
started planning my garden,
and took a wonderful nap,

lolz

all before dinner.
Then came my favorite part of the day, my husband got home.
I love watching Payton and Dominic both running up to greet him.
They fight over who gets the first hello.
Then I get my kiss.
My whole family is under one roof again and all is right with the world,
no matter what craziness is going on outside.
Yes indeed, not bad for a monday.